Evanston cop recruit says he lost job because of 'raspy voice'

A man has filed a discrimination suit against the city of Evanston, saying he was hired as a police cadet but fired less than two weeks later because of his "raspy voice."

Reginald Johnson was hired as a cadet on Sept. 6, 2008 and fired on Sept. 17, 2008, according to the lawsuit, filed this week in federal court.

Johnson says he was fired after an exercise where he had to shout commands to a police trainer. His suit charges that he was discriminated against because of his "hoarse or raspy sounding voice."

"If they made me go outside and holler, they should have made all the recruits go outside and holler," Johnson said in the suit.

Johnson was hired at a salary of $55,800 and passed the department's physical on Sept. 9, 2008, according to court filings.

When Police Chief Richard Eddington signed the paperwork, "he was questioning my raspy voice," Johnson said in a filing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission attached to the lawsuit.

After Johnson passed a physical fitness test the following week, he was sent to the Evanston police station, where he first was told to shout at a machine in the station, then taken outside and told to shout at a police detective as he walked down the street, according to the suit.

Two days later, Johnson was called and told he was not being hired. When he called Eddington, the chief told him that "my voice did not project far enough," Johnson said in the filing.

The test was not objective, Johnson claims, especially since none of the other four recruits hired with him were required to perform such an exercise. Johnson says he was discriminated against and cites the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Johnson is asking for his job back, as well as the income he would have earned and other unspecified monetary damages, according to the suit.

A spokesman for the Evanston police said the department does not comment on pending litigation.